


Just You and Me Within These Walls

by GinnyK



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, post episode Sing it Again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:21:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26656564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: A little angsty-ish post ep for Sing it Again.
Relationships: Teddy Altman/Tom Koracick
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I binged watched the entire series (again) during this pandemic. Realized I have a thing for Tom Koracick. Fits in with my love of bad boy doctors over the years, St. Elsewhere's Bobby Caldwell, ER's Robert Romano and Gregory House.
> 
> This is my first Grey's Anatomy story but not my first fan fiction by a long shot. I have about 20 years of stories floating around, many of them on here.
> 
> Title comes from a line in the song Rewrite the Stars from the movie The Greatest Showman.

Teddy checked on her patients one last time before heading out to the nurses’ station.

“Anyone seen Dr. Koracick?” she asked whoever was in earshot as she handed the tablet to one of the nurses.

“I heard him mutter something about tequila and his bed,” Helm answered helpfully as she reached her arms over her head, stretching a little.

“Thanks,” Teddy muttered as she headed for the attendings’ lounge. Thankfully the room was empty when she arrived. She grabbed her fleece out of her locker and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to check her messages. Just one from Owen letting her know he’d taken the kids to his mom’s for the evening. She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as she sat down on the arm of the couch. Part of her had hoped Owen was looking for her, part was happy with the text she’d received. She sent a quick text back in reply.

“Hey, Tom around?” Amelia asked as she walked, or waddled, into the room.

“Think he went home. Guthrie okay?” Teddy asked as she glanced at Amelia. “Wait, aren’t you having a baby?”

“Apparently this little guy has decided today is not the day,” Amelia answered as she ran her hand over her belly. She tried to gracefully sit down on the couch but ended up flopping down with no grace whatsoever, earning a chuckle from Teddy. “And Guthrie is fine, just checked on him. His parents are holding vigil over him.”

“Maybe I’ll just swing by and check on him one last time before I go. I’m sure Tom would appreciate it,” Teddy said as she pulled her fleece on over her head and pulled her hair back in a messy bun.

“Thank him again for the save, if you see him or talk from him,” Amelia said as she tried to make herself as comfortable as humanly possible given her current state.

“I will,” Teddy promised as she grabbed her bag and tossed it over her shoulder as she headed for the door. 

She pondered what to do with her free evening as she took the elevator to PICU. As she stepped off she saw Guthrie’s parents gathered around his bed. His mom was perched next to him, absently fingering the edge of the bandage covering his head. Earlier in the day the boy had been less than thrilled about shaving his head but he did convince the tech manning the razor to give him a mohawk to start with, to his delight and his mom’s pretend horror. She snapped a few pictures with her phone before the tech took off the rest of his reddish blond hair. Teddy had never seen a picture of Tom’s son David and wondered how similar the boys did look. She guessed Dana’s hair must have been reddish blond at some point too as she, Guthrie and Tom all had similar hair color. Teddy pushed aside her musings as she reached for a tablet to check the boy’s vitals. She slid the glass door opened and poked her head in.

“How’s he doing?” she asked as she stood at the end of the bed.

“He’s doing well,” Dana answered. “Thanks for asking. And thanks for earlier, with Tom. I knew he would have a reaction to seeing Guthrie, but it seemed to be harder on him than even I had anticipated. You two are….?” Dana started to ask, but trailing off when she realized Tom’s life was none of her business.

“Friends, good friends,” Teddy said automatically. Tom’s ex-wife certainly didn’t need to know any details of their complicated relationship. 

“Good, Tom needs friends. He doesn’t think he does, but he does,” Dana said nervously as she stepped away from the bed to grab a bottle of water off the counter. “Dr. Shepherd stopped by a little while ago to check on us. Looks ready to pop any minute.”

“Yep, false alarm today but she made the right call, getting Tom to take over,” Teddy explained.

“I sort of heard through the grapevine that you helped Tom out during the surgery. Got him grounded, I guess is the right way to phrase it,” Dana said as she leaned against the counter, watching as her husband held Guthrie’s hand and whispered to him trying to nudge the boy back to consciousness. Guthrie still hadn’t opened his eyes but he was moving about a little.

“Yeah, I guess I did,” Teddy replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “I should leave you three alone. I’ll check on you tomorrow.” She patted the boy’s blanket covered foot and bid his parents a good night.

“Good night, and thank you again, Dr. Altman,” Dana said as Teddy slid the door closed.

Teddy returned the tablet and headed for the elevator. As she stepped in the empty elevator car, her phone vibrated with an incoming text.

_TK-you still at work?_

_TA-leaving now, just checked on Guthrie, he’s doing fine, hasn’t opened his eyes yet but clearly trying to come back. I heard you’re all about the tequila and bed tonight_

_TK-yeah, think so_

_TA-what, no smart ass comment or invitation to join you?_

_TK-honestly too tired for smart ass. And yes, that’s me being honest_

_TA-you want some company? Asking as your friend_

_TK-sure, but I’m lousy company right now, raging headache and I’m exhausted._

_TA-too much tequila already?_

_TK-haven’t even started yet._

_TA-okay, be there in 20 minutes._

_TK-ordering room service, what do you want?_

_TA-cheeseburger and fries_

_TK-you got it, see you in a little while_

Teddy headed out to her parking space as the familiar Seattle rain began to fall. She started the car and turned on the defroster to clear the windshield as she took a few deep breaths. Traffic was light as she headed to the hotel Tom had yet to move out of. She knew part of his reluctance came from the fact he was clinging to the hope that they would end up together. So he lived in a single, although well-appointed, hotel room.

The drive was quick, traffic was light. Teddy thankfully found a spot on the ground floor of the parking deck. She walked past the reception desk as if she belonged there, nobody paid any attention to her.

She took the elevator to the 10th floor and stepped off, turning right to Tom’s room at the end of the hall. With only a seconds’ worth of hesitation, she knocked softly.

Tom answered the door with a full expected weary look on his face.

“Hey, thanks for coming,” he said as he motioned for her to come in.

“No problem,” she said as she slipped off her coat. As Tom took it and tossed it over the chair, she took a minute to get a good look at him. She wasn’t really happy with what she saw. Shirt tails were hanging out, hair standing up in all directions, vacant look in his eyes. However, she was happy to notice the lack of empty liquor bottles she’d expected to see strewn over the room. She took him by the hand and led him to the couch, motioning for him to sit. To her surprise he did just that.

“You okay,” she asked as she sat down next to him. She got a fully expected shrug of his shoulders and no actual response. “You ordered the food?” Teddy asked as her stomach growled. She realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I can eat but your burger is on the way, and just in the nick of time, apparently,” he teased lightly as he leaned back with his legs stretched out in front of him. He scrubbed a hand over his face and let out a frustrated breath.

“I talked to Dana for a few minutes. She wanted me to give you her eternal thanks, again,” Teddy said as she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her.

“I’d didn’t really have a choice, now did I?” Tom whispered as he tipped his head up, staring at the ceiling.

“No, you didn’t but it was a horrible situation you were put in and you made it through.”

“Not sure I would have made it through without you coaching me from the gallery. Thanks for that,” Tom said as he lolled his head in Teddy’s direction. 

“What are friends for, it not to talk each other through brain surgery,” she teased lightly as she reached to run her hand through his hopelessly messy hair. 

“Yeah,” whispered as he leaned into her touch for a minute, feeling himself start to relax for the first time in two days. A few minute later Tom got up enough momentum to propel himself off the couch when he heard a knock at the door.

The food cart was pushed into the room without a word. The hotel staff had learned over Tom’s time there that their best course of action was to just get out of his way as quickly as possible.

“You have the staff trained,” Teddy teased as she removed the covers from their food. She set the plates down on the coffee table, cheeseburger and fries for her and scrambled eggs and toast for Tom. The only response she got was a shrug of Tom’s shoulders.

Teddy dug into her food with enthusiasm, Tom not so much. He poked at the eggs with his fork, taking a few small bites. Eventually Teddy handed him a piece of the toast and pushed his plate away when it was clear he was not going to actually eat the eggs.

“Did you eat anything today?” she asked as he dipped her fries in some ketchup.

“Coffee count?” he muttered.

“Not at all. You want some fries?” Tom refused her offer with a shake of his head. “Okay you never turn down fries. What’s up?” she asked a she pressed her hand to his forehead. He pulled away quickly, the movement causing his headache to increase exponentially for a few seconds. He closed his eyes against the pain. “Whoa, take it easy,” Teddy whispered as she reached to rub his back. “Drop your head down,” she suggested when she realized he was looking a little green. “Take a few deep breaths,” she coached. Tom did as he was told, he’d learned pretty early in his relationship with Teddy not to bother ignoring her suggestions. “Better?” she asked a few minutes later after he seemed to have calmed down slightly.

“Yeah,” Tom muttered as he clumsily swiped at his eyes. “There’s ginger ale in the fridge, can you grab one?”

“Of course. You need Advil or anything?”

“Already took some, obviously hasn’t kicked in yet.”

Teddy grabbed the soda out of the fridge and handed it to Tom before turning out the majority of the lights in the room. She grabbed a blanket out of the closet and rejoined him on the couch. He took a few large gulps of the soda, instantly regretting having done that. He pushed back the blanket he’d just pulled up and stumbled towards the bathroom.

“And we’re off to the races,” Teddy muttered to herself as she stood up. She stopped short of following him in the bathroom, instead waiting outside, well within earshot, should he decide he needed something. Ten minutes later she heard the toilet flush and the water turn on. She grabbed the soda off the table, knocked lightly in the door, which he’d never closed all the way to begin with, and snuck into the bathroom.

Tom was sitting on the edge of the tub, elbows on his knees, cup of water clutched in his hands. Teddy set the can on the counter and reached to grab a washcloth off the shelf, wetting it with some cool water. She sat next to him, set his cup of water on the counter and wiped his face a little with the damp cloth. 

“Here, try this again, slowly,” Teddy said with a little grin as she handed him the soda. He did as he was told while she rewet the cloth, setting it on the back of his neck for a minute. She rubbed his back as he tried calm himself down a little. “You ready to get the hell out of the bathroom?” Teddy eventually asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” he muttered. “I’ll be right out,” he said as he grabbed his toothbrush off the counter. Teddy took the half finished can of ginger ale out with her. She found his pajamas folded neatly on the chair and set them on the closed toilet lid as he brushed his teeth. The dishes got set out in the hall and she closed the curtains.

Tom emerged a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of plaid pajama pants and an ancient Baltimore Orioles t-shirt. He looked miserable, a combination of exhaustion and probably a bit of mortification. 

“You re-thinking your decision to come over?” Tom asked as he curled up at one end of the couch, pulling his feet up.

“Nah,” Teddy said as she perched next to him on the edge of the couch, pulling the blanket up and setting it over him. She brushed back his hair, letting her hand linger on his cheek. “What can I do for you?” she asked. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“About what, the fact I just operated on a kid who is the spitting image of my dead son? About the fact that I am currently holding myself together by sheer will. And I don’t know how much longer I can do that. Or the fact that I basically just tossed my cookies in front of you.”’

“Well, as for the cookie tossing, you made it to the bathroom. And even if you hadn’t, it would not have been the first time I’ve been puked on this week. As for falling apart, don’t hold things together for me. And the surgery, you’re a doctor, it’s what you do,” Teddy said simply as rubbed his back.

“Yeah, it is,” he whispered. 

“How about you try to get some sleep?” Teddy suggested. 

“You’re not going to make me talk?” he asked, more than a little surprised she wasn’t going to try to get him to open up a little.

“Make you talk, no. Be here if you want to talk, always. But you are clearly beyond exhausted. So, get some sleep. I’ll be right here. And before you ask, Owen and the kids are at his mom’s. And I’m hanging out with my good friend who had a crappy few days,” Teddy said as stood up and crossed the room. She grabbed a t-shirt of out of the top drawer and headed for the bathroom. Part of her hoped Tom was just be asleep when she came back out, but he was still wide awake. His head was on the arm of the couch and he was staring up at the ceiling. 

“Bed might be more comfortabl,?” Teddy pointed out. 

“Is that an invitation?” he snorted as he carefully turned his head to look at her.

“It is not,” Teddy said simply as she crossed the room. She turned out the remaining light and grabbed a pillow from the bed. She sat down at the opposite end of the couch. “Come here,” she said as she patted the pillow. Tom flipped himself around. Teddy got the blanket settled over him before propping her feet on the coffee table and making herself comfortable. “Wake me if you need anything,” Teddy said as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Tom just nodded, not trusting his voice. He rolled over a little, settling down on his side, facing away from Teddy. He pulled her hand off his shoulder, tucking it under his chin, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

Tom was asleep within a few minutes. 


	2. Chapter 2

Teddy and Tom both slept restlessly for a couple of hours. He woke up a few minutes before midnight, managing to slip off the couch without completely waking Teddy up. As the couch shifted, she pulled her feet off the coffee table and stretched out. Tom chuckled at the way she managed to do that while remaining half asleep. He covered her up with a kiss to the forehead. 

Tom opened the blinds back up and folded himself up on the wide window ledge, looking out over the view of the city with Elliott Bay in the distance. He pulled his knees up, wrapped his arms around his shins and took a few deeps breaths to try and center himself a little. It was something he’d been desperately trying to do for about 48 hours. As he could have predicted, he was not exactly successful. In fact, just the opposite happened. The late-night lights of the city blurred with tears he’d held in since the very moment he first saw Guthrie sitting in the wheelchair before him. The resemblance between him and David was scary and what was even scarier was the fact that he’d always thought David looked like him and not Dana. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

He actually had no idea how he had managed to keep himself together when faced with Guthrie and his parents. At the first sight of the boy, he felt all the blood drain from his face. He remembered reaching out to steady himself, on something, anything. First it had been the counter of the lobby information desk, second it was Teddy’s hand on his arm. If she hadn’t been there, he was pretty sure he would have ended up on the floor in the middle of the main lobby of Grey-Sloane Memorial Hospital.

“Tom,” he heard Teddy whisper from the other side of the room. 

He wiped his face on his shirt sleeve in an effort to hide how upset he was. She pushed back the blanket and padded across the room. Tom swung his legs down, turning his back to the window. Teddy stopped right in front of him, completely invading his personal space. He leaned forward a little, dropping his head and resting his forehead in her chest. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as she rubbed his back.

“Let it out,” she whispered into his hair.

Tom’s arms wrapped around Teddy and for the first time in way too long, he felt safe. The tears started all over again and he made no effort to hide them.

When it became clear Tom was having trouble getting his breathing regulated Teddy took control. “Listen to me, take a deep breath and hold it for 3 seconds,” she coached. After a few minutes of coaching Teddy felt him relax a little in her arms. He took one more halting breath and sat up. Teddy tipped up his chin and wiped away the few remaining tears with her thumbs. She kissed his forehead and took a step back. “Go splash some water on your face. You want me to make tea?” she offered. While his little kitchenette wasn’t exactly well stocked, she knew she would be able to make some tea and maybe even find a snack if he decided he was hungry.

“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute,” he said, hitching his thumb towards the bathroom. “Something without caffeine,” he added.

“Obviously,” Teddy teased. As she turned the electric kettle on, she heard her phone chime with an incoming text. She found the phone on the end table. With a deep breath she tapped the screen to read, knowing there was only one person who would be texting after midnight.

_OH-you at the hospital?_

_TA-no_

_OH-Koracick?_

_TA-yeah, he’s has a hellish couple of days. And he’s a friend_

_OH-I know, I’m trying to live with that_

_TA-you’re going to need to do that_

_OH-coming home at all?_

_TA-I don’t know. Kids okay?_

_OH-they’re fine_

_TA-I’ll see all of you soon_

_OH-okay,_ _I love you_

_TA-love you too_

**************

“Owen?” Tom asked as he pointed to her phone. Teddy just nodded and set it aside as she dropped the tea bags into the mugs. “You can go home, I’ll be fine,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“You are nowhere near fine,” Teddy pointed out after getting a good look at him. He looked pale and exhausted. Hair was sticking up in all directions. Leaning against the back of the couch he looked close to falling over. “Sit down before I have to pick you up off the floor,” she suggested, softening her words with a wink. He took her suggestion, but apparently walking around the couch would have taken too much effort, so he just threw his legs over the back of the couch and slid down, much to Teddy’s amusement. 

“Now what?” Tom asked over his shoulder.

“Up to you,” she replied.

Teddy joined him on the couch with their tea and two Twinkies she found in the small cabinet next to the fridge. 

“Your stash of junk food is running low, by the way,” Teddy said as she opened hers up with her teeth.

“Good to know,” Tom muttered in response.

They ate their snack in comfortable silence, huddled on the couch under the blanket.

“You want to talk about it?” Teddy eventually asked.

“Not particularly. But do you want to see pictures of David?” he asked, careful not to look her in the eye.

“Of course I do, but only if you want to share them,” she answered as she licked the last bit of white cream off her finger.

“There’s a photo album in the top drawer of the nightstand,” he said, motioning towards the bed. Teddy set down her tea and got up to grab the album. She didn’t open it on the way back across the room, instead she handed it to him without a word before turning on the light next to the couch. They settled down, side by side. Tom flipped fairly quickly through the first 5 or 6 photos of David as a baby and as a toddler. When he got to a picture of David at about 5 or 6, Teddy could really start to see the resemblance between David and Guthrie.

“Wow,” Teddy said, a bit louder than she had anticipated. “Sorry, it’s just…”

“Uncanny,” Tom whispered, completing her thought. “And I always thought David looked like me, guess maybe I was wrong.”

“He did look like you. Dana was strawberry blond too?”

“More blond than David and I, but yeah,” Tom explained as he turned the pages. 

The final picture was of both David and Tom. It was clearly a candid photo, neither were looking at the camera, instead they were in profile, the exposure slightly dark as they were standing beneath the shade of a large tree. David was in his baseball uniform, facing Tom who had his hands on the boy’s shoulders and he was leaning over a little clearly talking to his son. Teddy could almost hear the pep talk Tom was giving him. Tom ran his hand over the image, sniffling a little. He swiped the back of his hand over his eyes. Teddy took the album and Tom’s mug, setting them on the coffee table. Tom turned the light back out, leaving the room lit by only the lights of the city coming through the window. Teddy put her arm around his shoulders and pressed a kiss to temple.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his hair.

“You’re welcome. It’s been a very long time since I’ve shown anyone those pictures.”

“Can I ask you a few questions?” Teddy asked vaguely. Tom just nodded against her shoulder. “How long did you and Dana stay together after David died?”

“Little over a year. We split up almost 12 years ago. Guess she didn’t waste any time finding a new husband and starting another family.”

“I take it she’s younger than you?”

“Yeah, about 10 years, almost 40 when Guthrie was born, I guess.”

“Was David’s death the only reason you two broke up?” Teddy asked, emboldened to pry a little in the dark of the room.

“No, not at all. It was what pushed us over the edge. We were trying to make things work for David’s sake but after he was gone, neither of us wanted to try all that hard anymore. It wasn’t a messy divorce, she didn’t want much in the settlement, other than the house, which was fine with me. Didn’t ask for alimony either, although I did give her a nice one-time check. Out of guilt I suppose.”

“Guilt over what? David’s death, that wasn’t your fault.”

“I know, but for years I thought if I had just gotten there quicker I’d have been able to operate, to save him. That’s what my heart tells me, but my head and my medical training tell me that he never had a chance. Grim as it sounds, the way it happened saved Dana and I from making some decisions that parents of a happy 10 year old boy shouldn’t have to make.”

“What about you, obviously never married again,” Teddy said, not sure she really wanted to wade in the direction she was headed.

“Never found anyone I wanted spend that much time with,” Tom chuckled as he reached to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Teddy’s ear leaning towards her expectantly. She just shook her head a little, as if to remind him she’d come that night as a good friend, nothing more. She was engaged to Owen, plain and not so simple. To deny she had feelings for Tom would just be a lie, but she and Owen had a child, children really as she’d come to think of Leo as hers also. A perfect little family in the eyes of any outsider.

Teddy was brought out of her internal musings by Tom’s unsuccessful effort to hold back a massive yawn.

“Okay, you need to sleep. Couch or bed?” she said, instantly regretting her words. Tom’s eyes shot wide open. “Which one do you want, I am taking the other,” she clarified as she nudged him a little with her shoulder.

“I know. Bed, if that’s okay with you,” he said with a sigh.

“No problem old man, you can have the bed,” she teased as she stood up and held out her hand to pull him to his feet. Tom got up with a groan, taking a second to regain his equilibrium as his head was still pounding. “Take some Advil and I’ll come tuck you in,” she said with a wicked grin as she picked up the remnants of their snack to take to the kitchenette. She moved quick enough that by the time Tom had managed to come back with an appropriate retort, he was standing there by himself. With a little chuckle and a shrug of his shoulders he headed for the bathroom.

Teddy washed the mugs and set them on a towel to dry. She set up the coffee maker for the morning and got herself a glass of water. As she was making sure the door was locked she saw Tom emerge from the bathroom and all but face plant on the bed. Suppressing a chuckle she set her water on the coffee table and walked over to the bed.

“Come on, stand up long enough to pull back the covers,” she muttered as she tapped Tom’s hip. He rolled off the bed just long enough for her to shove the comforter and sheet down enough to allow him to stretch out. He scooted to the middle of the bed, giving her room to sit down next to him. She tucked one leg under her and reached to rub his back a little. “You want the blinds closed?”

“Nah, not like the morning sun comes in the window, damn west coast,” he muttered. He was used to seeing the sun rise over the Inner Harbor of Baltimore from his penthouse condo near the Johns Hopkins’ campus. “What time’s your first surgery tomorrow?” he asked, eyes already closed.

“9:00, yours?”

“Not until the afternoon,” he muttered after taking a few seconds to remember his schedule.

“In that case, I will not wake you in the morning. You need sleep,” Teddy whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“Well, I just took an Ambien along with Advil so I should sleep,” Tom said with a sigh. “Thanks for everything. I know it’ll probably cause problems for you, being here tonight and for that, I’m sorry.”

“I’m here by choice. Not matter what has happened between the two of us, we are friends and Owen is going to have to live with that. And you have to learn to live with the fact that that is all we are,” she said, poking his shoulder just a little for emphasis.

“We’ll see about that,” he muttered as he rolled on his side, facing Teddy. In the dim light of the room he could see she had a look of warning on her face. It was late, they were exhausted and she was not going to engage in a conversation about their past, current or future relationship, whatever that may be.

Teddy just shook her head a little. She slid off the bed, pulled the covers up and pressed a kiss to Tom’s cheek. She padded back to the couch and snuggled under the covers, hoping to fall into a dreamless sleep. Lately her dreams had been vivid and confusing, a situation she hoped to remedy by moving up her wedding to Owen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments.


End file.
